Hairy Bikers chicken Caesar salad is a low-calorie take on the classic, with bashed chicken breast, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes and a light anchovy dressing. It serves 2 at 272 calories per serving and takes under 20 minutes.
This comes from The Hairy Dieters (2012), and Si and Dave call it “good and hearty.” The dressing makes enough for 4 servings, so you use half now and keep the rest in the fridge for up to 3 days.
The technique that speeds everything up is bashing the chicken flat. Si and Dave put each breast between cling film and hit it with a rolling pin until it’s about 1cm thick. That thin breast cooks in 4–5 minutes total, which means the whole salad is on the table before the lettuce wilts.
Hairy Bikers Chicken Caesar salad
Course: SaladsCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy2
servings10
minutes5
minutes272
kcal15
minutesA Hairy Dieters take on chicken Caesar from the first diet cookbook (2012). The dressing uses light mayonnaise instead of raw egg, pounded with anchovy and garlic in a pestle and mortar. Ciabatta toast replaces fried croutons, and the chicken is bashed thin for a 5-minute cook.
Ingredients
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp sunflower oil
1 romaine lettuce heart
10 cherry tomatoes, halved
2 slices of ciabatta bread, each about 1.5cm thick (15g a slice)
flaked sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
- For the dressing (makes 4 servings):
2 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and roughly chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled and roughly chopped
2 tbsp light mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon juice
15g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
2½ tbsp cold water
Directions
- Make the dressing: Put the anchovy fillets in a pestle and mortar, add the garlic and pound into a paste. Add the mayonnaise, lemon juice, Parmesan and water and stir well to make a pourable dressing.
- Bash and cook the chicken: Place a chicken breast between 2 sheets of cling film and bash with a rolling pin until about 1cm thick. Repeat with the other breast, then season both sides with salt and plenty of pepper. Dip a pastry brush in the oil and brush over the base of a large non-stick frying pan. Place over a medium heat, add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes. Turn over and cook for 2–3 minutes on the other side until browned and cooked through. Leave to rest in the warm pan.
- Build the salad: While the chicken cooks, separate the lettuce leaves, wash and drain well. Tear large leaves into smaller pieces and arrange in a serving dish. Scatter over the tomatoes. Toast the ciabatta and tear into bite-sized pieces.
- Serve: Cut the chicken into thick strips. Scatter over the lettuce and tomatoes and toss lightly. Spoon over half the dressing and serve while the chicken is warm.
FAQs
Why bash the chicken flat?
A whole chicken breast is thick and uneven, so the thin end overcooks while the thick end stays pink. Bashing it to 1cm evens out the thickness, which means the whole breast cooks in 4–5 minutes.
Si and Dave use cling film on both sides to stop the meat tearing as you hit it. A rolling pin works better than a meat mallet here because you want to flatten evenly, not tenderise. The thin breast also slices into neater strips for the salad, which makes the finished dish look more considered.
Why use light mayonnaise instead of raw egg?
A traditional Caesar dressing uses raw egg yolk, olive oil and anchovies. Si and Dave swap the egg and oil for light mayonnaise, which cuts the calories while keeping the creamy texture.
The anchovy and Parmesan still give you the savoury, salty backbone of a proper Caesar dressing. The cold water thins the mixture so it coats the leaves lightly rather than pooling at the bottom. If you’ve made the Hairy Bikers chicken skewers, you’ll notice Si and Dave strip back ingredients without losing the core flavour.
What makes this lower calorie than a regular Caesar?
A restaurant Caesar can easily hit 600–800 calories. Si and Dave cut that to 272 through several small swaps. Light mayo replaces oil-heavy dressing, the chicken cooks in 1 teaspoon of oil, and toasted ciabatta replaces fried croutons.
The chicken is skinless, the Parmesan goes into the dressing rather than on top, and the portion is sized for 2 rather than one oversized restaurant plate. Every element is trimmed without any single change being noticeable on the fork.
Can I use a different lettuce?
Si and Dave specify romaine, which is the traditional Caesar choice because the leaves are sturdy enough to hold the dressing without going limp. Little gem works as a swap and gives a similar crunch.
Avoid soft lettuces like butterhead or lamb’s lettuce, since the dressing will weigh them down into a soggy heap within minutes. Cos lettuce is actually the same thing as romaine under a different name, so if your supermarket labels it that way, you’re already sorted. Baby gem also works and is easier to find in smaller shops.
Why does the dressing make 4 servings when the salad serves 2?
Si and Dave designed it that way on purpose so you have dressing left over. They say to cover it and refrigerate for up to 3 days. That gives you ready-made salad dressing for two more meals without any extra effort.
It’s a clever meal-prep move. Making a smaller batch of this dressing would be fiddly, since you’d be pounding half an anchovy fillet. The extra portion costs almost nothing in calories and saves you reaching for a bottle of shop-bought dressing later in the week.
How do I store leftover salad?
Dressed salad doesn’t keep well because the lettuce wilts quickly and the ciabatta goes soft. If you know you’ll have leftovers, keep the components separate: chicken in one container, lettuce and tomatoes in another, dressing in a small jar.
Assemble fresh portions as you need them throughout the week. The leftover dressing keeps for 3 days in the fridge, and the cooked chicken stays good for 2 days. Toast fresh ciabatta each time since it only takes a minute and stale toast ruins the whole texture.
